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Swoon Thursday is a weekly feature hosted by #YABound
in which we share something that made us swoon in the
book we're currently reading or recently finished.

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This week I'm featuring Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller!

The change is instant. Before I know it, he's got his hand at the back of my head, the other on the side of my thigh. I move my lips down to his neck, teasing him in just the right places to get this heart pumping even faster. 

But he's done with letting me have all the fun. With a hand at my chin, he brings my lips back up to his. He takes control of the kiss, setting his own rhythm and pace. I let him, give him a sense of control.

e-ARC, 64%

So! This is the first swoon in what feels like genuinely forever and I'm sorry about that! Sort of was in a slump and no book had an adequate swoon. So I thought I'd share one from my most recent review, Daughter of the Pirate King. I liked this book and I'm excited for the sequel!

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by
Jill at Breaking the Spine, which spotlights a
book we're hotly anticipating.

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by
the wonderful people at The Broke and the Bookish.

Somehow, half the year has just passed us by! I've done a decent job of keeping up with my challenge—I'm still ahead!—and with all the books I've read, there have been some great ones! 

For this list, I'll be mentioning my favourite books for the first half of 2017! I'll also be listing a few runner ups!

For the sake of, well, whatever, I won't be counting rereads of books I read before 2017. So I guess 2017 reads only!

Note, none of these are in any order :)

♩ Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser

♩ Immortal Fire by Annette Marie

♩ A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi

♩ Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab

♩ Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco

♩ Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh

♩ A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab

♩ Want by Cindy Pon

♩ Warcross by Marie Lu

♩ Heartstone by Elle Katharine White

{ runner ups }

♩ Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken

♩ Cashmere by Temple West

♩ Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin

♩ Firebug by Lish McBride

Have you read any of these? What were your favourite books for the first half of 2017?

{ about the book }

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

There will be plenty of time for me to beat him soundly once I’ve gotten what I came for.

Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map—the key to a legendary treasure trove—seventeen-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship.

More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has only one thing standing between her and the map: her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate, Riden. But not to worry, for Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King.

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{ my review }

♫ ♫ ♫

This book is complicated to explain. On the one hand, it was so much fun and had so much female empowerment and a strong female lead; on the other, the writing made it bland, and the characters weren't all that interesting. And as great as the female empowerment was, there wasn't nearly enough interaction with other females in the novel, which was disheartening.

The book is fairly short and hella fast paced. Things are constantly happening and a plan is in motion from the very beginning of the novel. Alosa is a headstrong girl who's beyond capable in doing what needs to be done for the plan her father has her execute on a well known pirate's ship. Caged by day, she roams the ship by night hoping to find a missing piece of some important map that'll lead them back to the island of the sirens—or so I think, I can't remember clearly.

Anyway, Alosa was an... interesting character. I sure as hell admired her spunk and tenacity but she had a reputation for being too reckless, to a point where it could, and has, put her in sticky situations she could have avoided had she not been so headstrong/stubborn. It felt so over exaggerated! That is my main issue with her—her attitude, her actions, they felt so forced, as if she had something to prove to readers, to me. In the end, as fun and snarky her as her narration was, it was difficult to truly like her character.

The plot... Well there's not much else to say, I guess. Like I said, it's fast paced and full of action of all sorts. It made for a fun read but beyond that, there wasn't really enough substance. By the end of the book, I was left feeling okay but it wasn't something that was going to stick with me or make me desperate for book two.

The romance was a good one. It was a hate to love sort of thing, but what made it better was that Alosa was the type of girl who had no time for romance unless it got her what she wanted, which was pretty great, if I'm honest. The girl knows what she wants and she goes for it! There was a lot of banter between the two—both Alosa and Riden were extremely snarky and sarcastic and it made for some heated moments.

With a main character like Alosa, whose entire ship was a party full of women, it was disappointing to not have more female interactions. While I understand the reasoning behind it—Alosa did have to go and get kidnapped—it was disheartening not seeing Alosa work more with her crew, of whom she holds the highest of regards, it seems. I'm hoping that changes in book two because nothing is better that lady pirates supporting and fighting together all while showing men who the real pirates are on the ocean.

Overall, it was a decent novel. If you want a quick, fun read, I'd recommend this. If you're looking for a good pirate story, I don't think you'll be disappointed either. It's not super substantial but it is entertaining. 3 stars!

{ buy the book }

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

~

Kindle | Nook | Kobo | iBooks

{ about the author }

Initially from a small town in Oregon, Tricia now lives next to the Rocky Mountains with her bossy dog, Rosy. She received her degree in English Language and editing, and she is thrilled that she never has to read a textbook again. When she’s not writing or reading, Tricia enjoys putting together jigsaw puzzles, playing volleyball, and watching shows while eating extra-buttered popcorn.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Tumblr

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by
the wonderful people at The Broke and the Bookish.

So, up until now, a lot of good books have been published. And sooooo, here are a few of my favourites!

♩ Warcross by Marie Lu

♩ Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco

♩ Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

♩ Want by Cindy Pon

♩ Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser

♩ Firebug by Lish McBride

♩ A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi

♩ Heartstone by Elle Katharine White

♩ Velvet by Temple West

♩ The Rose and the Mask by Victoria Leybourne

What are some of your favourite releases for the first half of 2017?

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly feature hosted by Tynga's Reviews
which showcases recent additions to our shelves.

So, from June 11th to June 24th, I got...

Leave it to me to writer up this post at 11 P.M. lmao. Anyway! I skipped last week because... well, nothing much had happened. (Er, and, um, I may have forgotten...) So this will be 2 weeks worth of books!

In the mail

♩ an ARC of Vanity in Dust by Cheryl Low
♩ an ARC of Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart
♩ an ARC of Venturess by Betsy Cornwell

From the library

♩ a paperback of The Witch Who Came in from the Cold created by Lindsay Smith and Max Gladstone

From Edelweiss

♩ The Becoming of Noah Shaw by Michelle Hodkin

Oh, yes. It's happening. Soon.

From Netgalley

♩ Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu
♩ Rosemarked by Livia Blackburne
♩ The Hearts We Sold by Emily Lloyd-Jones

That pretty much covers it! What are you guys reading this week?

Hii, lovelies! Today, I'm excited to help reveal the cover to Rebecca Ross' upcoming debut novel, The Queen's Rising, which comes out February 6th, 2018 from HarperTeen!

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With gorgeous description and detailed rendering of a world where not everything and everyone are what they seem, Rebecca Ross weaves an intricate tale of revenge, loyalty, and, ultimately, self-discovery. Don’t miss the beautiful cover for Rebecca Ross’s debut young adult fantasy, THE QUEEN’S RISING, and pre-order your copy today!

Are you guys ready?

Without further ado...

The Queen's Rising by Rebecca Ross

Publishes February 6, 2018 by HarperTeen

Add it on GoodReads!

Pre-Order Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | HarperCollins

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by
Jill at Breaking the Spine, which spotlights a
book we're hotly anticipating.

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This week's WoW is...

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by
the wonderful people at The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's TTT topic is...

Series I've Been Meaning to Start!

We all have those books—you know, the ones we get super excited about because it's either a book an author we read and liked before is writing, or a brand new debut that sounds just up your alley. You know, the ones that come out and you forget about because of other releases and school and life and all that jazz.

Yeah, those books. Backlist books.

I know I have tons of series hidden away in my TBR pile, but while looking for them, I was actually surprised by how hard it was. Which, I suppose, does make sense, since the years would change one's reading tastes. But these ten still made it!

♩ Uninvited by Sophie Jordan

♩ The Architect of Song by A.G. Howard

♩ The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie

♩ Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

♩ Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

♩ Soulless by Jacinta Maree

♩ Illusive by Emily Lloyd-Jones

♩ And I Darken by Kiersten White

♩ The Cage by Megan Shepherd

♩ The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

What series are on your backlist?